The Asgard Connection
by Traycer
Summary: The Asgard are asking for assistance and Jack's clone gets roped into helping them. Rated for language and possible violence.
1. Default Chapter

Author's Note: This is yet another installment in the Mini-Jack series that I have been writing, which picks up after Friends and Enemies. Please let me know what you think, good or bad. Thanks!

As an aside, I am still working on Gemini Crossings; in fact I have three more chapters written. I just need to make a few minor adjustments on Chapter 25 and I'll be sending them off to my beta so that she can do her magic.

* * *

He had a dartboard in his mind's eye. He supposed he could come up with something more sinister, but the dartboard was the easiest to conjure up at any given time. A dartboard that had a picture of the one person, or alien in this case if one wanted to get technical, that he hated more than anything else he had ever encountered. A picture of a particular Asgard named Loki. 

Jack Gallagher stood in the hallway outside of his Chemistry classroom, his fists clenched, as he listened to an Upper Classman berate him royally over a simple little misjudgment on his part. So, he had stepped out of line, what's the big deal?

Jack knew what the big deal was, it just grated on his last nerve that it was a Cadet who was yelling at him. He hadn't been in the best of moods as it was and now here was this fired up yahoo yelling at him over a simple little mistake. It's not like it had been his first.

He focused on the dartboard in his mind, throwing several darts at once. Loki was the one who had grabbed him out of his bed one night to experiment on his DNA in hopes of coming up with a solution to the Asgard problem of creating more clones to keep their race going. In order to conduct his experimentation without anyone knowing he was doing it, he created temporary clones of the unfortunates he snatched, leaving the clones to go on about their business with no one being the wiser until the original was returned safe and sound.

Normally this worked very well for Loki. However, Loki hadn't realized that the marker placed in the DNA of the original Jack, would create problems with the clone. Jack O'Neill had gone to bed as a 50 year old Colonel in the United States Air Force and woke up the next morning as a 16 year old version of himself.

Whoosh! Another dart landed right between the eyes. The Cadet was still yelling and Jack was still standing there throwing darts at the imaginary dartboard. He hated that bastard! Although, he had to admit that there was a fine line between which bastard he hated at that moment, Loki or the Cadet.

The dartboard still had the picture of Loki, however, and Jack mentally threw another dart at the bulbous head of the Asgard. The Air Force had jumped in to help Clone Jack create a new life after the original O'Neill convinced Thor, the Supreme Commander of the Asgard, to spare the clone's life. He changed his last name to Gallagher, his mother's maiden name, and enrolled in a local high school in order to live his life as normal as possible.

He was determined to get back the life he had left behind though, which is why he was standing here taking the heat from this Cadet. He graduated from high school and enlisted in the Air Force so that he could join the ranks of the SGC to battle the Goa'uld, an enemy far worse than any other. An enemy with technologies that were far beyond Earth's capabilities to even understand, although a certain Lt. Colonel named Samantha Carter was giving the Goa'uld a run for their money.

"Gallagher!" Cadet Grady's voice brought Jack's attention back to the here and now. "Are you even listening to me?"

"Yes I am," Jack responded. "You were telling me what I should have done and how I should have done it, not to mention why I should have done it your way. I was listening," he insisted.

"Cadet…" the Upper Classman snarled.

"It was all very interesting too," Jack continued. "Very educational, and judging by the looks of your audience, very entertaining." Several other Cadets were standing by watching the scene with various looks of interest. Three of those in attendance were friends of his and he grinned at them to let them know he was all right.

"You think you are so great, don't you?" Grady said with a great deal of anger behind his words.

"No sir," Jack said with a sigh. Here we go again.

"Just because you spent the summer at Cheyenne Mountain, you think you are better than the rest of us," the Cadet told him for what seemed like the thousandth time since Jack had come back to the Academy in January to rejoin his classmates. "Well, you're not. You know, don't you, that you won't be going back there. Getting your face smashed in on a mission you messed up has to be a bad mark on your record. Hell, you'll be lucky if they give you a desk job in the Pentagon when you get out of here."

Jack wasn't the least bit surprised by the misinformation the Cadet was spewing. In fact, the story had changed with each telling. The Cadet seemed to think that if he mentioned his lies out loud everyone would believe him, including General O'Neill, who just happened to be the commander at Cheyenne Mountain. Jack wasn't too worried about what O'Neill thought when it came to him, he had a good idea of what was going through the General's mind most of the time, seeing as he used to be O'Neill.

"Why don't you put this to rest?" Jack told Grady. "Jealousy doesn't become you. We all know that I have no say so whatsoever in where the Air Force sends me. If they want me at Cheyenne Mountain, I better get my ass to Cheyenne Mountain."

"Like I said, they won't want you back there again," Grady insisted. "You messed up that mission pretty badly," he smirked.

"Oh for crying out loud!" Jack exclaimed. "Why don't you tell us all how I messed up 'that mission'? You don't even know what the mission was." God, Grady was such a jerk.

"I have my sources, Gallagher. You went out on a mission and half of your team came back wounded because of your stupidity."

"Whatever!" Jack said dismissively. "When you finally get the story straight…,"

"Gallagher!" someone called out from the end of the hallway. Jack knew that voice and he smiled at her as she made her way down the hallway to him.

"Colonel Carter, ma'am," he said, smiling at her as he came to attention along with the rest of the Cadets. "What brings you to the Academy?"

"I'm scheduled to give a lecture on Theoretical Astrophysics for Professor Monroe. I try to help out occasionally. Will you be joining us?" she asked.

"Do I have to?" Jack grimaced. He fell into a stupor if she so much as started in on a light discussion of how the Stargate operates. He could just imagine what he would have to go through if he had to sit through an entire lecture. He shuddered at the very thought.

Carter laughed at his words, though. "It would be a perfect opportunity for you to take a nap," she said conspiratorially.

He grinned back at her. It was so good to see her again. "How have you been?" he asked her, totally forgetting about his audience.

"I'm doing well," she replied. "I see you have recovered from your little 'mishap'," she said as she stared at his altered face. He had undergone minor plastic surgery to alter his looks in order to fool anyone who would possibly put two and two together and figure out he was General O'Neill's clone. It was for his own well being that no one find out he was a clone, not to mention the fact that the future of the SGC depended on it. He'd had the surgery to make sure he didn't end up looking like his counterpart as he got older. They had worked out a cover story that he had suffered an accident while on the mission to Ba'al's fortress, giving them the perfect opportunity to account for the reason he was changing his looks.

"Yes ma'am," he said, still smiling at her. "I was a little worried for awhile there that I would end up looking like something the cat didn't finish eating."

"Just as handsome as ever," she teased, "maybe even better than the original."

"Really?" Jack said, not missing the double meaning. "I was thinking that maybe I should have had the Doc redefine my nose, you know, add a nip here and a tuck there…"

"Cadet," she said to stop him from going on. "You look great. Would I lie to you about this?" she added with a secret smile as she started to walk away.

Wait a minute, Jack thought with a start. "Colonel?" he growled as she moved down the hallway. She turned to give him a smile and a small wave before vanishing around the corner.

He found himself grinning back at her. Her attitude toward him had changed drastically since he had come back to the SGC as a young Cadet. They had maintained a professional stance when he had been her commanding officer, keeping their positions in the Air Force between them to avoid violating any regulations. Carter had always treated him with a respectful attitude, calling him 'Sir' and following his orders with no questions asked. Her determination to be the best officer, at least to the best of her ability, kept her from showing the side of her that he got to see all the time now.

Now that he was no longer her commanding officer, in fact the tables had been turned and she was his commanding officer, she seemed to be more relaxed around him, teasing him and occasionally calling him Jack, versus Cadet or Gallagher. She was more playful and less serious around him. He liked this side of Samantha Carter, a side that he was sure General O'Neill rarely saw, if ever.

Bradley Craddock came up and grabbed his arm. "Jack, wasn't that your CO while you were at Cheyenne Mountain?" he said, making sure Grady overheard the statement.

Jack grinned at his friend, knowing exactly what he was doing. "Yep," he said. "I wonder if she was one of the team that came back wounded," he continued, not able to resist the dig.

Cadet Grady didn't say anything. He just glared at them both before turning to walk down the hallway, the opposite way Colonel Carter had taken.

Revenge is sweet, Jack thought as he and his friends turned to follow Grady, his mood having improved greatly.


	2. Chapter 2

"Jack, how did you get the assignment at Cheyenne Mountain?" Rachel Martinez asked, as Jack and his friends walked out of the building.

"Well, I… uh…." Jack began.

"Never mind that," Amy Cranston butt in. "Just how close are you to Colonel Carter?" she asked, jealously.

"Colonel Carter?" he asked before sending a pleading look toward Brad. His friend took pity on him and came to the rescue, or at least tried to.

"Come on, you both know that Cheyenne Mountain has more high security stuff going on there than the White House. We're lucky we even know the facility exists. And Amy, you are all Jack talks about. Really, nonstop, even in his sleep. You have nothing to worry about when it comes to Colonel Carter, believe me. Besides, she's his CO."

"Even in his sleep?" she asked with a smile and Jack couldn't help but roll his eyes as he gave his friend a relieved smile.

"Yeah, he keeps me and our other roommates awake all night long as he talks about you," Brad said, heaving a dramatic sigh. "All night long…"

"All right already Brad," Jack rushed in to say. "Don't overdo it. Jeez, you are definitely going to have to work on your act."

Rachel giggled as she slipped her arm through Brad's. The two of them had been developing a close relationship from the moment they had met and Jack was glad for them, although he sometimes felt a twinge of jealousy. She was a beauty and Jack had secretly coveted her from the moment he'd first laid eyes on her. They had even spent some quality time together. That was before she met Brad. Jack knew he was out of luck the moment his two friends looked at each other when he'd introduced them. It had been awkward when they'd confronted Jack, but he'd eased their minds by verbally stepping back, telling them he was happy for them. They didn't have to know that he had to keep himself from beating Brad into a bloody pulp the few times when jealousy had him gritting his teeth in anger.

Jack turned to smile at Amy. Unlike Rachel who was majoring in Astronomy, Jack didn't have too much in common with Amy. She was a spitfire, though, a trait that Jack admired and he knew without a doubt that she was going to make a fine officer. The fact that she was warm and willing worked great for him, as well.

Amy smiled back at him before grabbing his hand and dragging him toward their destination. "Come on," she said. "We'd better not be late. Besides, we need to get there before Grady spreads more of his bull for the others to wade through. That guy can be such a jerk," she said, then grinned at Rachel, "Although he is kind of cute."

This time it was Brad's turn to roll his eyes. "If you say so, darlin'," he countered. "Personally, I can't see it. I mean, puhlease, what about that long nose and…?"

"Shifty, beady eyes," Jack added as they continued to walk toward the parade grounds.

"…his bushy eyebrows," Brad continued as if Jack hadn't interrupted him. "Not to mention his…"

"Weak chin," Jack said.

"And hairy nostrils," Brad felt compelled to say.

"Enough!" Rachel said laughing. "He'll be a troll by the time you two get through with him."

"Well, if the shoe fits," said Jack. His mood had definitely improved thanks to his friends, including Sam Carter. Now if he could only get through the training exercises without having Grady finding some fault with him, he would be a lot better off.

* * *

The good mood Jack was experiencing had completely evaporated the next day. He found himself sitting next to his friends in a lecture hall listening to an instructor lecture about the evils of the enemy, whoever it might be, and the fact that the students may find themselves in a prison, subjected to the whims of said enemy. 

This topic was something Jack knew of from first hand experience, having spent four months in an Iraqi prison as well as suffering at the hands of several Goa'ulds. He didn't need to hear it from this guy and he most definitely did not need to be dealing with the memories this lecture was bringing up.

He stared at the instructor, desperately trying to block out his words, as well as the memories they conjured up. He was concentrating so hard on burying the memories that he flinched when Rachel touched his arm. He smiled at her when he saw her concern, hoping to convey that he was going to be all right. He knew better though, and he sighed inwardly even as he squeezed her hand to let her know he appreciated her concern.

"There is no way anyone can prepare you for what you may encounter in such a situation," the instructor was saying as he continued his lecture. "Horror stories and pictures will give you an idea, but they still won't prepare you for the pain and humiliation brought on by some of the more sadistic wardens. We're going to attempt it, however," the professor continued as he went over to a slide projector. "Would someone dim the lights please?" he asked politely.

Jack spent the next 15 minutes staring at his hands, avoiding the images that were being projected on the screen at the front of the room. Occasional glances at the slide show told him all he needed to know. His own memories were much more effective in scaring the crap out of him. He didn't need the pictures.

It got worse though, as the slide show ended and the instructor told them all of his efforts in obtaining speakers for the class. "It's extremely difficult to find anyone who would be willing to talk about their experiences as prisoners of war," he said. "Almost all of them understandably want to bury away those memories, preferring to not have to relive the trauma. I've personally asked several local men who had been incarcerated in a POW camp during their career to come speak at these lectures, only to be turned down, usually vehemently. One General, in particular, heard me out, then got up and left me sitting there without ever having said a word."

O'Neill, Jack thought smugly, as some of the students laughed. That sounded like something he would do. Hell, Jack was having a hard time keeping himself from doing the very same thing. But he knew it would be the wrong thing to do – on so many levels.

"I was successful, however, in getting someone to come and talk to you all about his experiences as a POW during the Vietnam War. He spent 14 months in a prison in Vietnam and his story is not a pretty one. He is one of the few who have used his experiences to help others though. He now counsels victims of child abuse and rape, helping them to come to terms with their anguish and the traumatic memories of their experiences."

Jack struggled with staying in his seat as the urge to run overtook him. He wanted out, needed to get away, but knew he was well and truly stuck. The feeling of being trapped was overwhelming and he closed his eyes in an effort to gain back control of his emotions. He was going to have to listen to this guy relate his experiences and Jack was terrified that the memories those words may bring up would escape from the prison he had put them in. He had locked them up in his mind, dealing with them only during his nightmares when they snuck out to torment him.

"Jack, are you going to be okay?" Amy asked, as she grabbed his hand. He saw the fear in her eyes and he realized that he had been clenching his fists. He tried to smile at her, to ease her mind, but he didn't think he was doing a great job of it. She watched him with concern for a few seconds longer before turning back toward the instructor, never letting go of his hand.

He was able to get through the rest of the lecture by concentrating on trying to remember every single chemistry element. When he had exhausted that topic, he began going over the constellations they were currently studying in his Astronomy class. He was just about to start naming all the planets he had visited in chronological order when he was nudged on both sides from Rachel and Amy. It was time to go and he had successfully avoided dealing with his worst fears.

He couldn't get out of there fast enough, practically dragging Amy along with him as he hurried to get out of the room. "Cadet!" he heard someone call out just before he got to the exit and he stopped and turned, along with everyone else. He felt his heart sink in his chest when he realized that the guest speaker was looking straight at him. Just peachy, he snarled inwardly.

He waited where he had stopped, his heart racing with fear. This was so not good. The speaker came up to him and nodded at his companions before saying, "I was wondering if I could speak with you for a moment."

"I'm going to be late for my next class," Jack said, hoping his excuse would be accepted. He did not want to talk with this guy.

"It will only take a moment," the speaker said. "Please."

Jack finally gave in and nodded, hoping that the guy just wanted to know where the best Chinese restaurant was. He knew better though and he stood there warily, waiting for the bomb to drop.

"You know," the guy began, "I have spent the last forty years working with people who have suffered at the hands of others and I can tell by the look in your eyes that you are one of those people. I've seen the same look in the faces of my fellow prisoners, as well as the people I work with on a daily basis and I just wanted to let you know that I am available if you ever need someone to talk to. Just give me a call," he said, handing Jack a card.

This was all Amy's fault, Jack raged inwardly. She was the one who insisted on sitting up front. Damn, he had spent the last fifteen years fighting off the memories of his imprisonment and this guy felt it was his obligation to bring all those memories back.

"Thank you sir, but I'm afraid I don't know what you are talking about," Jack said, his emotionless mask firmly in place. "I appreciate the concern though."

"Abusive parent?" the man asked, not giving in nor believing him for a minute. "Believe me son, you are better off talking about the trauma. Keeping it in only allows it to fester and sometimes the memories can manifest into delusions. I can help you Cadet."

Great, Jack thought. This guy wasn't going to give up. He looked over toward the door, wondering if he could make it without too much trouble. Brad was leaning up against the door waiting for him and Jack resolved not to keep him waiting much longer. "I'll keep it in mind," he said waving the card at the man. He stopped waving it to look at it, then told him, "Thanks again Craig."

"You're welcome Cadet," Craig said, watching Jack with concern. Jack nodded and the man turned to walk back up to the lectern where the instructor waited. Jack just knew he was going to be the main subject of their conversation. He sighed as he looked back at the card again before turning to join his friends.

All three of them were about to burst with curiosity, but Jack didn't know what to tell them. He couldn't tell them anything about his past, unless, of course, he made something up. It was bad enough that he was lying to them as it was, he didn't want to add to his deception any more than he had to.

Craig had been way too receptive to his fears and this bothered Jack. He had always thought he held his emotions in check, never letting anyone see his insecurities and the fears he dealt with whenever his memories showed up. He supposed the last few years working with the Stargate program hadn't helped him in healing at all. He had suffered greatly at the hands of several System Lords - Hathor and Ba'al immediately coming to mind. How was he supposed to get rid of all the horrible memories when he kept adding more of them to his already impressive list?

He continued to dwell on these thoughts as he, Brad and Rachel headed off toward their next class. Amy's next class was in a separate building and she had hugged him tightly when they parted company. He knew she was trying to make things better for him and he was glad for it.

They were almost to the building where their classes were being held when Grady showed up. Jack immediately went into defense mode, waiting for the attack he knew was coming. Grady didn't disappoint him. He started in on Jack, reprimanding him for some trumped up grievance, which Jack paid no attention to. Instead he stood his ground, glaring at the Cadet, waiting for his chance to kill the jerk. He didn't need this on top of his already overworked emotions.

Brad, being the good friend he was, recognized the danger within Jack and stepped in between the two Cadets, while Rachel grabbed Jack's arm to hold him back. Grady, who didn't realize he was in trouble, tried to push past Brad to get to Jack. It wasn't a good situation all the way around, but Jack was past caring. He reached past Brad and grabbed Grady's jacket just as a blinding light surrounded them all.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's notes: I felt that I needed to update this chapter in order to fix some glaring holes. Most of it is the same, I just felt that the other Cadets would not have "melted into the background", as I originally wrote it. I hope my changes have made this chapter better than the original.

* * *

Jack let go of Grady as the light faded away to nothingness. Oh God no, he thought. This is not happening. He stared blankly at the faces of the three Cadets who were now standing in the middle of a room on an Asgard ship. "Shit!" he swore as the expressions of his companions changed from confusion to fear. 

"What the hell?" Grady said, his expression showing his anxiety. "Where are we?"

Rachel was the first to move, her eyes taking in everything as she moved away from the group. Jack watched her as she walked around the room, his mind refusing to work out any kind of scenario.

"What's going on?" Brad asked. Jack knew, but he wasn't quite sure why. So he kept his silence, wondering idly if he was going to get blamed for the three Cadets being there. His biggest worry though, was who was responsible for him being here. He felt himself tremble slightly as the image of Loki flashed through his mind. Jack did not want to have another run-in with that bastard. He was on the verge of panic as he tried to figure out why he was here. What if they had brought him here to eliminate him or because they had decided he was a mistake that never should have happened? God, the thoughts that were running through his mind were threatening to bring him to his knees.

Instead, he pulled himself together. He now half hoped it was Loki so that he could crush that little cockroach into the ground. He walked toward the middle of the room and bellowed, "Thor? Was it you that brought me here?"

"Jack?" Rachel said, staring at him as if he had lost his mind.

He ignored her and tried again, "Thor! Come on buddy, what's going on?"

"I am here O'Neill," Thor's voice came at him from the doorway causing Jack to whirl around on the spot. "It is good to see…" Thor's eyes widened the moment he got a good look at Jack's face. "You are not O'Neill," he said stating the obvious.

"You got that right," Jack agreed, grinning at his old friend. It was good to see him. "You want to tell me what's going on?"

"Jack?" Rachel said again, her voice reflecting her fear. Jack turned toward her to see that she was standing next to Brad, who was staring at Thor with a look of disbelief, while Grady stood next to the other two with an indecipherable look on his face.

"It's okay," Jack soothed. "There's nothing to worry about." Oh man, was that the understatement of the century, he thought snidely.

"What's going on Jack?" Brad asked, as he stared at Thor.

"This is impossible," Thor said. "The transporter was configured to bring O'Neill here. There must have been a malfunction with it."

"A malfunction," Jack repeated, his attention having been brought back to Thor. "Are you telling me that you missed?" He asked, trying to grasp what Thor was saying. He couldn't help grinning as he thought about how Thor used to boast about their advanced technologies. This was almost like the icing on the cake.

"It would appear so," Thor said calmly.

Jack wondered if anything ever got to this guy. "So now what?" he asked.

"Transporter?" Brad butt in. "As in 'Beam me up Scotty'?"

"Look, I'll explain everything," Jack told his friend. "Just let me get this straightened out, okay? Okay?" he asked again and Brad finally nodded. Jack looked over at Rachel, who also nodded at him. "Grady?" Jack asked, as he turned to the third Cadet who had been uncharacteristically quiet since Thor had shown up.

"Whatever," Grady said, turning his gaze back to Thor. For once, Jack wished he knew what was going on in the Upperclassman's head. He didn't like this not knowing what to expect from the guy who had made it his mission in life to make Jack's life miserable.

"I will send you back," Thor spoke up, bringing Jack's attention to him. "If you will tell me where you were when you were transported, I will endeavor to put you back in the same place you were taken. There is something I would like to know," he added as he stared at Jack. "How is it you know my name?"

Jack didn't answer right away. He had to be careful what he said around the others and he struggled with finding the right words to tell Thor who he was while at the same time not giving anything away to the Cadets. Jack never was very good with words.

"What's up with Loki these days?" he asked, hoping that Thor would put two and two together. "I hope you made sure he was punished harshly for what he did to me."

Jack waited for Thor's reaction to his words, wondering if it was enough, especially since he no longer looked like the kid that Thor had saved several years ago. Apparently it was, as Thor's eyes widened again before nodding his head. "Yes, he truly regrets what he did to you O'Neill. It appears the transporter isn't too badly damaged after all. It was configured for O'Neill and it brought you here instead," he said. "It just picked up the wrong O'Neill."

"I am not O'Neill," Jack said firmly. This was something he felt strongly about. He'd spent the last four years working on his new identity and he resented Thor demolishing everything he'd worked so hard for. He needed to be his own man and that was the way it was going to be. Period.

"Still, the transporter should have picked up the original O'Neill," Thor continued. "There may be a problem that we need to work on."

"Yeah well, in the meantime, you wanna tell me why you needed O'Neill here? Maybe I can help," Jack said.

"We have encountered a planet whose people have requested that we help them to defend themselves," Thor explained. "We would like your help in ridding the people of their enemy."

"Replicators?" Jack asked, grimacing as he remembered those nasty little bugs.

"Goa'uld," Thor replied evenly. "The planet is situated among those that are not in our treaty with the Goa'uld. Our attempts to convince them to leave the planet in peace have gone unrewarded. There is one Goa'uld in particular who has claimed the planet as his own and refuses to give it up. We were hoping the Tau'ri would help us in eliminating this Goa'uld so that we can claim the planet as an Asgard protected planet."

"Goa'uld, Tau'ri," Grady spoke up, and Jack could see he was finally gearing up to his normal aggravating self. "Do you think you two could speak in English?"

"Why can't you just take it yourselves?" Jack asked Thor, totally ignoring Grady. "The Goa'ulds don't stand a chance against your forces."

"The Goa'ulds would consider it a direct attack against them and the terms of our treaty would be rescinded," Thor answered patiently. "They would not be able to blame us if the Tau'ri helped those people."

"You want us to do your dirty work," Jack said. He couldn't blame the Asgard for depending on them, the Tau'ri depended on the Asgard just as much, making their alliance a valuable one.

"That is correct O'Neill."

"My name is Gallagher, Jack Gallagher," Jack said making another attempt at convincing Thor to get it straight. "Who are we up against?" he asked.

"A minor System Lord named Algin," Thor told him. "The planet that he rules is the only planet he has in his possession. He does have an impressive fleet though, as well as a Ha'tak. The Ha'tak is currently on the planet's surface, as is the majority of his fleet. It is our wish that SG-1 destroy the Ha'tak and Algin."

"Planets and aliens - why do I feel like I'm in the middle of a Science Fiction movie?" Brad asked the room at large.

"Are you going to be able to transport SG-1 here?" Jack asked as he glared at Brad. "I mean with your transporter malfunctioning, who knows who will end up here to join our party."

"I will request a full diagnostic scan of the transporter before attempting to use it again," Thor responded. "In the meantime, I must inform O'Neill of what has transpired here. I am afraid that you and your friends will have to wait here until we are sure the transporter is working properly."

Jack nodded his head in understanding, then turned to look at his companions. They were all staring at him, Rachel looking worried, Brad with an amused look on his face and Grady openly glaring at him. Jack sighed as he realized that he was going to have a hell of a time explaining all this to them.

"You're going to have to explain these guys to the General," Jack said, wishing to warn Thor. "He is not going to be a happy camper when he finds out about them."

"Perhaps it would be wise to know exactly how they happened to be here," Thor said, as he looked over at the Cadets. "The transporter beam should have only brought you here."

"Well," Jack said thoughtfully, "We were all standing in practically the same spot. Rachel and Brad were trying to hold me back from killing that idiot over there," he continued, pointing at Grady, "And the idiot had grabbed me to try to beat the crap out of me. I guess what it boils down to is that your timing sucks," he finished.

"Yes, it would appear so," Thor agreed.

"Look Thor, would you like me to talk to O'Neill?" Jack asked. "I think it would be best, especially since he will need to know exactly who came with me. This way he can give me some ideas on how to fix all this."

Thor didn't answer, instead he walked over to a console that was situated near the door and began moving one of the intricately designed stones to manipulate the environment. "Step over here, O'Neill," Thor said, indicating a spot near the console.

Jack did as he was told while at the same time telling Thor, "The name is Gallagher. I am not O'Neill anymore." Jeez, what was it going to take to get it through Thor's head?

"I will always be Thor," the alien responded in all seriousness. Jack realized at that moment what Thor was thinking. It didn't matter that he was a clone, he was still O'Neill, would always be O'Neill. Not in my world, Jack thought viciously. "Please, just call me Gallagher," he said.

"Gallagher," Thor said, giving in. "I will attempt to project your image now."

"Wait!" he said to Thor. He turned toward the Cadets, staring at them, suddenly at a loss for words. How did one tell his friends that he would be talking to someone who wasn't there? "A hologram," he told them waving his hand around in a vague attempt to explain it to them. All three of them raised their eyebrows, encouraging him to elaborate further. "I… I'm just going to talk to the General for a minute," he added, pointing to the empty space behind him. "I'll be right back," he said, finally giving up. He just knew they were going to think he had lost it. From their vantage point, he would be talking to thin air.

Well it couldn't be helped. "I'm ready," Jack said to Thor and waited for the scenery to change. He didn't have to wait too long, as he found himself in the control room at the SGC staring at a surprised General and a control technician. "Gallagher," General O'Neill growled, anger overtaking his surprise, "this had better be good."

"Hey Jack. I hope you don't mind me dropping in like this. Thor has a little problem…, well a lot of problems and you get to help us solve them all."

"Well isn't that special," O'Neill growled, while at the same time dismissing the technician with a nod of his head. "Why don't you tell me all about these problems? You can start with your presence there."

"Thor missed," Jack responded smugly. "All that talk about how superior their technology is and he missed. He was aiming for you," he admitted.

"I see," O'Neill said quietly. "What are the other problems?"

Jack hesitated, wondering if he should tell the General about the Cadets being there, all the while knowing he was going to have to. "Well, there is a Goa'uld who is in control of a planet that has asked Thor for protection. He wants us to help him get rid of that particular snakehead."

"How?" O'Neill asked.

"Destroy the mother ship and the Goa'uld," Jack said simply. "He would like SG-1 to do the honors."

"Which Goa'uld is he talking about?"

"Algin."

"Never heard of him," O'Neill said, with a thoughtful look on his face.

Jack waited for O'Neill to process this information, stalling the inevitable. "Thor can't do it himself?" O'Neill asked after a few minutes.

"It would violate the treaty the Asgard have with the Goa'uld," Jack responded.

There was more silence before O'Neill said, "SG-1 is off-world right now and not expected back for a few more days. It wouldn't be in our best interest to pull them away from their current mission right now. Thor will have to wait until they get back."

Jack turned to repeat the General's words to Thor. "Perhaps you can take care of this problem yourself, Gallagher," Thor responded. "Tell O'Neill that we will bring up weapons and anything else you need to accomplish this."

What? Gallagher thought. "You want ME to tell him THAT?" he asked Thor, his anxiety rising as he thought about what O'Neill would say to that.

"Tell me what?" O'Neill asked warily.

Jack turned back to the General and stared at him for a full minute, knowing what the response would be and dreading it. "Thor says that he will be taking weapons and other supplies I will need to do the job," he said having decided to take the bull by the horns.

"I don't think so, Cadet," O'Neill growled menacingly. "You get your ass back here and report for a debriefing. You have ten minutes."

Jack decided now was the time to take the diplomatic approach. "But sir, I could scout out the territory and get things started for SG-1. I'm here anyway," he added.

"What about your classes?" O'Neill asked, his anger not appeasing at any rate.

"Yes sir, about that…" God, the General is going to have a stroke. Jack took a deep breath, then forged on. "There is another little problem that we need to take care of."

O'Neill stared at him with dread. "Another problem?" he finally asked. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"No sir," Jack said. Just do it Jack, he thought to himself. "Thor was aiming for you, but got me instead. I happened to be with some other Cadets at the time and they sort of came along for the ride."

"What does that mean?" O'Neill asked in a deadly calm voice.

"It means that we have a lot of explaining to do and you have a lot of paperwork to take care of in order to keep these Cadets quiet," Jack said. "They are standing behind me even as we speak."


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: I've made some major changes to Chapter 3 and have reposted it. Thanks to all of you who submitted reviews. I really appreciate them!

* * *

O'Neill stood there, not saying a word. Jack could see he was angry while working on trying to control his emotions at the same time. He waited silently, wondering if the General was going to explode or what. 

"What the hell were you thinking?" O'Neill finally spoke up. "I can't believe this," he added. "How many Cadets are we talking about?"

"Just three, sir," Jack said calmly, trying not to get angry over O'Neill blaming him for this.

O'Neill didn't respond, he just stood there staring at Jack, who was starting to resent the implications of what O'Neill was thinking. "It's not my fault," Jack pointed out, breathing deeply in order to keep from overreacting. "I didn't ask to be transported here."

"How did you manage to drag three people along for the ride?" O'Neill asked, apparently not even listening to Jack.

"You're blaming me," Jack fumed, the anger at the injustice of it all causing him to spit out the words. "Why are you blaming me for this? It's not my fault," he said again, glaring at the General. That guy can be such a bastard!

The General just stared at him for a minute before sighing as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I know that Jack and I apologize for accusing you. It's just that you have no idea what I am going to have to do to fix this screw up." He stopped at that and took another minute to gather his thoughts together. "You can't face the Goa'uld alone. Even I know that," he continued. "I'll send SG-1 along the minute they get back. You and the other Cadets are expected back here in ten minutes to be debriefed."

"No can do General, sir," Jack said, "Thor wants to do a diagnostic scan to make sure the transporter will transport us. He's worried that there may be a problem with it. After all, he was aiming for you. It may take some time."

"How much time?" O'Neill asked.

Jack shrugged, "A couple of hours?" he said looking over at Thor. "General, I'm willing to get a head start on tackling this Goa'uld. We can get the lay of the land and determine the best way in for SG-1," he continued.

"We?" O'Neill asked.

"The other Cadets and I," Jack replied.

O'Neill just stood there staring at him. "You've gone over the deep end, haven't you?" he asked warily.

"No sir," Jack said with a grin. "They've had a lot of training and this would give them some exposure to even more training. It's better than sitting around waiting for the Asgard to fix their transporter," he added.

"Facing a real live Goa'uld is not my idea of a good training program Cadet," O'Neill said. "The Goa'uld play for real."

"You have a point," Jack said, as he happened to agree with the General.

"O'Neill," Thor said surprising both men. The alien had apparently worked the controls to allow his own hologram to interact with Jack's. "I prefer that we not wait until SG-1 shows up. Algin may decide to leave the planet at any time, making it harder to conquer his forces."

"It's not that easy Thor," O'Neill said. "SG-1 is currently dealing with a society that needs to be treated with kid gloves. If SG-1 up and leaves in the middle of the negotiations, we could lose any hope of gaining an alliance with those people. Of course, we may lose out anyway, but it would be better if we gave it our best shot."

"Then I suggest Gallagher go in their place," Thor said. "I will attempt to transport weapons and supplies for his use."

"No you won't," O'Neill said. "He can't go alone and the others are not ready for a mission of this magnitude. It would be suicide."

"Do you not have faith in yourself?" Thor asked, his dark eyes staring at the General.

"Huh?" O'Neill asked. "Yeah, as a matter of fact I do. What does that have to do with this?"

"If you believe you could do it, why can you not believe Gallagher could do it?"

The silence following that statement was complete. Jack watched the General as he contemplated the Asgard's words, wondering what was going on in that mind. He was still willing to give it a go, even as he worried about the safety of the others. He knew that they had a good chance of scouting and laying down the groundwork for a full scale attack and still get out of there alive, but he also knew that there was a definite possibility that one of them could get killed. Jack wasn't sure if he wanted to deal with the end result of this particular mission.

"I will attempt to transport the weapons," Thor said again with finality. Jack and the General stared at each other and Jack had the eerie feeling of understanding exactly what the General was feeling. He shook it off, figuring it was because they both were thinking the exact same thing. This had happened before and he took a mental step back - it was all too weird for him to deal with.

The General apparently agreed with him because he too shook his head and looked away. He brought his attention back to Thor and tried one more time to reason with his friend. "Look Thor, I have a responsibility to oversee all aspects of this program. Those people you brought along with Gallagher are now officially a part of it and it is my duty to make sure they stay safe. They have not had enough training to take on a Goa'uld, let alone an entire army."

"The people on that planet are desperate for their freedom," Thor said. "Would you have them wait for the freedom you value so dearly?"

Silence filled the room while O'Neill thought about the consequences his decision would bring about. Jack looked back toward the Cadet's, who had apparently decided to keep their own comments to themselves for the time being. Jack did have to wonder about the smirk on Grady's face.

"I believe that Gallagher will succeed," Thor continued when no one else spoke up, "just as you would O'Neill."

"Yeah," the General said with a sigh. "What do you need?"

Jack wasn't so sure this was such a good idea, but he also happened to see Thor's point. The Goa'uld needed to be eliminated soon or the people on that planet faced a long period of time as slaves. Not a good thing, in his opinion. Not to mention the fact that Earth owed Thor's people a great deal. "Well, for starters we could use some BDUs. We'll definitely need Zats and P-90s. I take it you'll want to wait and send explosives with SG-1?" he said, then continued when the General nodded. "Knives would be a plus. We came here in between classes, so we pretty much need everything. Speaking of classes, will you be making arrangements to keep us from getting kicked out of the Academy?"

"Oh God," O'Neill said with a grimace. "You have no idea what I am going to have to go through to fix this screw up," he said again. "The things I do for you..."

"And I appreciate it, really I do," Jack said, grinning at his counterpart. The grin faded as he said, "We'll be careful out there, Jack."

"You'd better be careful," O'Neill insisted. "I'm already going to have to struggle with this problem for at least a week. I don't even want to think about the nightmare of straightening out the added problems if you don't."

"The Cadets who came with me are Rachel Martinez, Bradley Craddock and Robert Grady. I can't speak for them, but I had an exam scheduled for tomorrow."

"I'll see what I can do," O'Neill said. "Don't let me down, Gallagher."

"I won't," Jack replied. He continued to stand there even as the control room faded from view and he found himself back in the confines of the Asgard ship. Thor was maneuvering the stones on the console and Jack figured he'd be seeing all kinds of goodies transported up any minute now.

He looked around and saw the three Cadets staring at him. "We've got a job to do," he told them as he put his hands in his pockets. "It's gonna take some time telling you all about it…."


	5. Chapter 5

"Let me get this straight," Grady said when Jack had only gotten half way through his explanations. "We are on an alien ship out in the middle of the galaxy, millions of miles away from home, and you want to go out to fight other aliens in order to free people who live on another planet… Do you realize how crazy that sounds?"

"Yes, I do," Jack replied, trying hard to hide his impatience. Grady was going to be a problem and Jack did not look forward to dealing with it. "But this is all real. Denying it will not make it go away."

"C'mon Grady," Brad spoke up, "We've all heard stories about Area 51 and alien invasions. Didn't you see that movie, 'Independence Day'? We're going to save the world!"

"This is not a joke Brad," Jack said with a serious look on his face.

"Oh please," Brad responded, the anger in his voice laced with what sounded like desperation. "Next thing I know, you'll be telling us that all those alien abduction stories were real."

"How do you explain all this?" Rachel spoke up for the first time since Jack had ended his visit with O'Neill. "I mean, one minute we're at the Academy and then we are here… wherever here is," she continued as she waved her hand to indicate the whole room.

The silence that followed seemed to answer her question. Jack knew the answer, but he didn't think they wanted to hear his version, so he kept quiet, hoping they would be able to work out their doubts and fears quickly.

"This is a crock!" Grady exclaimed. "Something you cooked up, I'm sure," he continued, pointing at Jack. A smile came to his face as he said, "You should have seen yourself, standing there in the middle of the room talking to 'General O'Neill'," he added as he started to circle around Jack. "Hey Jack, hope you don't mind me dropping in…" Grady continued, mimicking Jack's words. "Were we supposed to believe that you were actually talking to the General? There was no one there, Gallagher. It made for a great show though. I'll give you that."

Jack didn't respond. His anger was red hot, but he still kept his silence as he glared at Grady. He continued to stand there with clenched fists, fighting to keep from strangling the bastard, all the while knowing he had to convince them that this was indeed real and that they would soon be required to face an army of Jaffa. Brad and Rachel kept their silence as well, both staring at him with resignation in their expressions. Grady, on the other hand, was ready and willing to keep his own beliefs intact, and Jack wondered what it would take to convince him that this was all real.

"Well?" Grady prompted. "Are you ready to tell us what all this is really about? Because I have to tell you that I'm ready to go back home any time now. Which way is home Gallagher?" he continued menacingly.

"Home is that way," Jack said pointing at one of the walls of the room they were in. "Or maybe it's that way," he continued, as he pointed toward the opposite wall. "It really doesn't matter which way because if you step one foot off of this ship, you're dead. Look Grady, I know this is all hard to take in, but you are just going to have to trust me and hear me out. That little guy I was talking to earlier is one of Earth's allies and whether you like it or not, we are going to help him with his little problem."

"We are allies with aliens?" Brad asked before Grady could respond. "Jack… I've known you for a couple of years now, we've been good friends almost from day one at the Academy. In all that time, you've never lied to me, at least not that I've caught you at. I trust your judgment, but this is so farfetched that even I'm having a hard time believing you. Give it to me straight. Is all this alien crap true?"

"Yeah, it's true," Jack confirmed, guilt sweeping over him. His whole life was a lie, at least the part about his identity. He knew what keeping secrets meant, having spent the majority of his career in top secret operations, but it still bothered him when he was forced to lie to people about what he did for a living, or who he really was for that matter.

"This may sound corny, but I believe in you Jack," Rachel said, a small smile lighting up her face. Jack found himself smiling back at her. "There is no other explanation for us being at the Academy one minute and here the next," she continued. "You mentioned something about the 'superior technologies' these aliens have… that bright light was a transporter beam?"

"Something like that," Jack responded. "The Asgard have technologies that we can't even begin to imagine. They are a superior race and we value their alliance because of it."

"That little guy is an Asgard?" Brad asked. "How many other races are out there?"

"Well, from what I am told, there are at least four, not counting the Goa'uld. Or the Tok'ra for that matter, who could be considered the same as the Goa'uld… but take my advice, never, and I do mean never tell them that to their face," he said with a grin. "Then there are the Unas, if you want to call them a race of anything…"

"Stop!" Rachel exclaimed, holding up her hands toward Jack. "Just stop. What the hell are you talking about?"

Jack looked at her and tried to hide the smile that was trying to make an appearance. His anger had disappeared sometime during the last few minutes and Jack knew it was because of Rachel and Brad. He was glad they were there to be a buffer between him and Grady. Jack could tell he was going to need his two friends, judging by the angry glare on Grady's face. The glare was fine with Jack, Grady could glare all he wanted to as long as he kept his opinions to himself.

"Look," Jack said, "Why don't I just finish telling you everything and lay it all on the line for you guys? I'll try to explain as much as I can, as well as brief you on our mission. Grady, can you restrain yourself until I'm finished?"

"This ought to be interesting. I'm up for a good science fiction story," Grady sneered.

"Yeah whatever," Jack said, then picked up where he left off before Grady went off on his earlier tirade. "As I was saying, it took us awhile to figure out how to get the Stargate to work, but when we did it gave us the opportunity to explore other planets. We found other humans living on these planets, humans who originated from Earth. It seems that the Goa'uld - the bad guys, I mean, we're talking the really horrendous megaton BAD guys…"

"That bad, huh?" Brad interrupted, grinning at Jack.

"Worse," Jack responded with a nod. "Anyway, the Goa'uld came to Earth thousands of years ago and decided that the humans living here would make wonderful hosts for them to live in and could be turned into slaves. They took what they wanted and dropped off the slaves on planets that they claimed for themselves. It just so happens that the descendants of some of those slaves are living on the planet Thor wants us to go to. In order to free those people, he wants us to eliminate the Goa'uld who is the current false god of that world."

"This just gets better and better," Grady interrupted. "Now you're telling us that these aliens are Gods."

"Shut up, Grady," Rachel said, shocking all three of her companions. "Go on Jack," she prompted.

Jack smirked, then continued, "The task of eliminating the Goa'uld will be up to the members of SG-1, who have a lot more experience in doing that kind of stuff. We're just going in on a basic recon mission to determine what they will be facing by scouting the territory, and if we're lucky, take out a few Jaffa."

"Jaffa?" Brad asked.

"The Goa'uld's henchmen. They are the enemy and I want you all to treat them as such. I know that you have yet to face a real enemy, and this is something that General O'Neill has qualms about, but I think that if we stay low and work quietly, we'll avoid any casualties."

"Wait a minute," Grady said, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "I realize that we are all Cadets here, but I am an Upperclassman. This means that I will be in charge of this 'mission'."

Oh great, Jack hadn't counted on this. In fact, this scenario had never entered his mind. He'd just assumed he'd be in charge. "I don't think so Cadet," he said, repeating a phrase O'Neill had used earlier. Grady did have a point though, and normally would be in the right, but Jack knew that if they were to survive this mission, he was going to be the one calling the shots. "I know what we're up against, you don't," he added.

"I thought you weren't falling for any of this," Brad said, in Jack's defense.

Grady didn't respond. Jack could see him struggling with everything that he'd been told and what had transpired over the past hour. "It has to be me Grady," Jack said quietly. "I know who and what we are up against, not to mention that I've done this before."

"There is no way I'm going to put my life in the hands of a Cadet who's only had a few years of military training," Grady insisted, having come to terms with his feelings. "I've had a lot more experience in the field Gallagher and I will be the one calling the shots."

"Okay, let's put our respective training to the test," Jack said, knowing that he was going to have to convince this guy of his abilities. He was not about to admit that he had almost 30 years on the idiot. He went over to the door that Thor had gone back through after their meeting with O'Neill and stuck his head out. "Thor?" he called out. "When are we going to see some weapons in…?" his voice faded off as he heard the electronic whine of the transporter behind him. He turned and saw a pile of weapons and supplies on the floor of the room. "Never mind," he called out, before walking over to the pile and picking up a Zat.

"This is a Zat," he told the other Cadets. "Do you know how it operates or what it does?" he asked Grady.

Grady stared at Jack warily before taking the weapon into his own hands. He turned it over in his hands before looking back at Jack. "No," Grady admitted, as he held the Zat out to Jack, while at the same time accidentally pressing the mechanism that primed the weapon.

"Hey, watch where you're pointing that thing!" Jack exclaimed, as he reached out to gently retrieve the Zat from Grady's hands. He stared suspiciously at Grady for a few seconds before aiming the weapon away from the Cadets and pulling the trigger. "The first shot stuns, the second one kills. Remember that."

"Your turn Grady," Jack ground out. "What kind of weapons does the Jaffa carry?"

"This is your story, Gallagher," Grady responded. "You tell me."

"Staff weapons," Jack responded, realizing that this tactic was not one of his brightest ideas. He was just going to have to force the issue on the Cadet and be done with it. "I am leading this mission, Cadet Grady. I've fought the Jaffa before, and I know what to expect. This mission goes down my way."

Grady was at a crossroads here and Jack could almost see the wheels turning in his mind as he debated on which way to go. Common sense was telling him to let Jack take the lead, while his pride was fighting it all the way. Jack waited for Grady to make up his mind, all the while knowing he would probably be facing an insubordination hearing when he got back to the Academy.

"He does know the enemy, Cadet Grady," Rachel said, apparently thinking along the same lines as Jack. She was probably regretting her earlier words when she told Grady to shut up.

"That's assuming that there really is an alien enemy on an alien planet," Grady ground out. He turned to Jack and stared at him for a minute before common sense finally won over. "All right," he sighed. "I'll step down for now. But I will take over if I deem this is all a setup or if you screw up."

"Fair enough," Jack replied, even though he had no intentions of ever letting Grady take over on this mission. He pulled off his jacket and started unbuttoning his shirt before he remembered there was a lady present. "Do you mind?" he said to Rachel, indicating with his hands that he wanted her to turn around. He watched her smile at him before he turned his attention to the clothing on the floor. He chose a pair of pants, then glanced at her, "No peeking," he insisted.

"You are definitely no fun, Jack Gallagher," she teased as she turned her back on him. Jack had to smile at her when he saw her stiffen as she said, "Brad?" in a voice filled with pleading and desperation.

"I'll kill both of them if they so much as steal even a tiny peek when it's your turn," Brad swore. "You will visit me in prison, won't you?"

"On a weekly basis," Rachel promised, as she giggled.

Jack smiled at his friends as he realized how glad he was that they were there. He knew he could have done this on his own, but having a few more guns as backup was a definite asset that he planned to use to his advantage. Now all he had to do was get them out of this alive.

"Okay people," he began, as he shrugged on his BDUs. "I'm going to give you a crash course on Jaffa 101. Pay attention here, we have a lot to cover…"


End file.
